Letter of the Day (May 21): Theater prices

May 20, 2013 - 7:18 PM

Our daughter’s 18th birthday is approaching, and I wanted to do something that had a “wow factor” to celebrate. I noted that the Broadway production of “Wicked” was coming to town and knew tickets would make the perfect gift.

Now, I’m no fool. I’ve bought tickets for many productions and realize they don’t come cheap. But this one knocked my socks off! Two tickets, with all fees and taxes: more than $300! To top it off, these were in an area we once referred to as the “cheap seats.”

This got me to thinking: What’s the trickle effect of ever-rising ticket prices? It didn’t take me long to connect the dots. When fewer people have access to the arts, the arts become expendable. They become the first things cut from school budgets; voters bristle at the thought of their taxes supporting them, and fewer families can afford to witness the best the arts have to offer.

Our daughter understands this. As much as she’d love to see “Wicked,” as an artist herself she clearly sees the bigger picture. She’s willing to give up experiencing a production she has waited years to see in order to take a stand against the practice of exorbitant ticket pricing. Are you?